A Ripon man was taken into custody this week after he was found be in possession of a stolen truck and a trailer that were reported missing out of Minnesota.

Talal “Paul” Helweh, 44, of Ripon, was arrested by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department deputies who were on Wednesday investigating the theft of a side-by-side when they discovered the stolen truck and trailer.

Helweh was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on multiple felony charges related to the theft and possession of stolen property.

But the vehicle that the trailer was hauling was nowhere to be found.

Upon further investigation, he $40,000 piece of equipment was ultimately located in Manteca where it was being stored – without the snowplow or the tracks which be swapped out for regular wheels and tires.

The vehicle and its components were all recovered and returned along with the truck and trailer to the rightful owner.

And it doesn’t appear to be the first time that Helweh has been accused of such a crime.

According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, he was on active parole at the time of his arrest and was out of jail after posting bail on similar charges that were lodged only last month.

Because of the parole violation, Helweh is now being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail where he will remain at least until he appears in court in Stockton on August 21.

Helweh is also facing 25 additional charges for the theft and subsequent crimes and is facing $250,000 bail for those charges – if the no bail status were to be lifted for the parole violation.

The case was investigated by agricultural detectives working as part of the Sheriff’s Department’s Agriculture, Gangs, and Narcotics Enforcement Team (AGNET). As part of the agency’s special services division, the team is tasked with monitoring and investigating a wide swath of specialized crimes throughout the country – reflecting the multifaceted mission that officers working for the sheriff’s office must tackle from urban issues like gangs to rural issues impacting the county’s lucrative agricultural community.